Three other men were also found guilty of the fraud, including Umar Manir, 28, who was handed an 18-month jail term and ordered to pay compensation to Virgin Media.

Shaukat Ali, 27, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 250 hours of community service, while Subhan Ali, 29, had fled overseas and was found guilty in his absence.

The men were arrested in 2008 after police raids in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham uncovered 2,000 illegally modified set top boxes, along with substantial quantities of cash.

Their conviction was part of Virgin Media's campaign to stop set top box and modem fraud in the UK. The company is now updating its network security to stop users from being able to receive TV and internet services for free.

"Later this month, we will introduce a new encryption process in Birmingham, which is already rolling out across other parts of the UK now," said Virgin Media's head of fraud and security Malcolm Davies.

"This will protect our existing customers and make it impossible for others to take our services unless they pay for them legitimately."